I’m currently cutting a digital feature and this has made me think about editing styles. Here are an even dozen tips that I feel will make any budding film editor better at this craft. I’m sure not everyone will agree with all of these points, since they come out of my own approach and style. Nevertheless, I hope they offer some takeaway value for you.

1. Cut tight – The best editing approach is to cut tight scenes without becoming too “cutty”. This means taking out unnecessary pauses between actors’ delivery of dialogue lines. Sometimes it mean tightening the gaps within dialogue sentences through the use of carefully placed cutaways. It may also mean losing redundant lines of dialogue, after the director has reviewed your cut.

In general, my approach is to start with a cut that is precise from the beginning as opposed to cutting the first pass sloppy…

About Hilary

C. Hilary Smith is Toronto-based film and tv editor.
With five years of experience cutting narrative shorts, news, commercial and promotional videos, Hilary is proficient Avid Media Composer, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve, ProTools, and the Adobe Creative Suite.
Hilary has worked as both a freelancer and an in-house editor and colourist. Recently assisting on a Canadian reality series and a feature-length comedy, Hilary is focussed on transitioning into editing for tv and film.